Photo: @liamxwinn
Gavin DeGraw is taking fans back to 2003, as he has re-imagined his debut album Chariot, and the star celebrated big at the world-famous Empire State Building in partnership with iHeartRadio for an exclusive and intimate iHeartRadio Album Release Party.
DeGraw's Album Release Party was the first-ever event at the Empire Lounge on the Club Level of the iconic New York City landmark. During the show, the singer/songwriter performed several Chariot songs, including the infamous title track itself, as well as opened up about his debut album's re-release and more during a special Q&A hosted by Helen Little.
Chariot 20 includes re-recorded hits like "I Don't Want To Be" and the album's title track, "Chariot," in addition to two previously unreleased tracks, "Get Lost" and "Love Is Stronger (Alright)."
When asked how he feels to be celebrating the 20th anniversary of his debut album, he shared, "Twenty years? I mean, I'll tell you, I didn't expect ... well, there's a great old record called 'Old Dogs.' It's an old country record, and one of my favorite lines of the song is 'I never expected to last this long,' because I relate to it Now that I'm I'm an adult." He added, "And I'm surprised that I'm still sticking around. It's nice to be here, and it's nice that my fans have stuck around. Your artist career only lasts as long as their audience does."
Photo: @liamxwinn
DeGraw also went into detail about the very first time he ever heard his music on the radio, and it was following Simple Minds' "Don't You (Forget About Me)," the iconic song from The Breakfast Club. He recalled, "First time I can remember hearing my music on the radio was a song called 'Follow Through.' And I was in Washington DC and I was headed to the venue to play the show, and the song came on right after a great old song from The Breakfast Club."
DeGraw continued, "And then right after that song, 'Follow Through' came on, I was like, 'Oh, snap, this is Me.' So I stayed in the car, even though we had already pulled up to the venue, and the driver was like, y'all can get the hell out of the car now. So for me, it was a sign that I was hearing my song right after a song that I already loved."
Before the show, Gavin caught up with Helen Little, who asked him to sign an old photo of himself. The picture showed Gavin in front of a Z100 New York's backdrop, rocking a green beanie, which he still has! He told Helen, "I still have that beanie, actually. The ol' army green beanie."
Check out the funny moment below and listen to Chariot 20 on iHeartRadio.
Photo: @liamxwinn
Photo: @liamxwinn